How to globally send emails to constituents

In The Raiser's Edge, users may want to send emails to a group of constituents at one time. There are four ways to globally send email to a group of records. Click the links below to jump to the steps for each option:

NOTE: These options are for communicating a general message to your constituents. To email e-Receipts for gifts, refer to How to Send eReceipts

Globally Add Records

Note: You must use a MAPI- (Messaging Application Program Interface) compliant email program, such as Microsoft Outlook, to globally send email. Review our system requirements for information regarding supported email clients.

Click Include and select All Constituents or Selected Constituents (based on a query). If using Selected Constituents, browse for and select the appropriate query.

For the Send email message line, select the appropriate option:

To each constituent: This option creates an individual email message for each recipient. Only the individual constituent's name appears in the To line, preventing the email recipient from seeing the list of other recipients. This is equivalent to using the BCC field in an email message.

To group: This option sends one email message to the whole group and allows each recipient to see the names of all the other recipients in the To line. You may want to use this option when you email your board members.

If appropriate, mark the Create Control Report and Create exception query checkboxes (recommended)

Click Enter Email Now

Click Yes when this prompt appears: Are you sure you want to add this email to all of the selected records? This prompt is to warn you that you will send an email to each record selected under the Include button

Enter the subject and compose the email message

Click Send Now

If the prompt "A program is trying to access email addresses you have stored in Outlook. Do you want to allow this? If this is unexpected, it may be a virus and you should choose No." appears, click Yes until all the messages are sent. For more information, refer to BB29989.

Microsoft Outlook using an exported data file

You can send emails to your constituents using an export file. Advantages of this method include exporting multiple email addresses for the same constituent and using an email address other than the one stored on the Bio 1 tab.

Microsoft Word using a mail merge

Open a new document in Microsoft Word. Locate the merge steps for your version of Microsoft Word below. Please note your version of Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Word must be the same in order to perform the merge.

Choose Select Recipients, Use Existing List. Browse to the folder where you saved the export file from Raiser's Edge. Change Files of type to all files as the file has a DAT extension. Double-click on the file to select it

Create the email using the formatting options within Microsoft Word. Locate the merge fields from Raiser's Edge in the Insert Merge Field dropbox

Click Finish & Merge, Send Email Messages

On the Merge to Email window, enter the subject line and select the phone number field in the To dropbox. This tells Microsoft Word which field is the email address. If you have multiple phone number fields, process the merge once for each instance of the field. Or, open the export file in Microsoft Excel and combine the emails into one column

Click OK to process the merge

Note: The From address for the email will be the email account you have open on your machine.

Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Microsoft Word 2003

Select Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail Merge from the menu bar

On step 1, mark Email messages as the Document Type and click Next

On step 2, mark Use current document and click Next

On step 3, mark Use an existing list and click Browse. Navigate to the location where you saved the export file from Raiser's Edge. Change Files of type to all files as the file has a DAT extension. Double-click on the file to select it

On the Mail Merge Recipients window, verify all of the rows are checked, click OK, and click Next

On step 4, create the email using the formatting options within Microsoft Word. Locate the merge fields from Raiser's Edge in the More Items link. Click Next once the email is completed

On step 5, click Next: Complete the merge

On step 6. click Electronic Mail

On the Merge to Email window, enter the subject line and select the phone number field in the To dropbox. This tells Microsoft Word which field is the email address. If you have multiple phone number fields, process the merge once for each instance of the field. Or, open the export file in Microsoft Excel and combine the emails into one column

Click OK to process the merge

Note: The From address for the email will be the email account you have open on your machine.